> So, why not offer LM 7.1 at the current price (around $50) and add the
> option of a package deal on free email support for a certain period of
> time beyond that, i.e. $50 to $75 for 30 or 60 days of serious tech
> support, at least as it concerns installation issues and helping the
> newbie get started.
Head back to the Mandrake site. I believe they have a tech support
package you can buy.
> incomprehensible help and man pages (which I, to this day, avoid like
> the plague, substituting Linux books for them that speak English, not
> computerese.
Won't debate the value of man pages but computer book stores are full
of books on virtually any subject involving Linux and they run the
gamet from highly technical OS development texts to Linux for
Dummies. Web sites abound with information and simple use of search
engines can yield up tutorials on just about any subject. Sorry, but
while Linux may be complex, the documentation available is
extraordinary.
Still, if you want to have someone telling you the answers, several of
the distribution companies offer tech support packages. After all,
service is how they ARE making their money. You just have to be
willing to pay for it. For what it's worth, you're not going to get
an unlimited tech support service for $50 for the same reasons I
outlined in my previous msg.
> Of course, it's a lot, lot easier these days than it was when I started
> with RH 5.2 and it will only get easier thanks to Linux, KDE, Gnome,
> etc.
Here's just an opinion related to what I've seen here. Linux is
preadapted to an approach of slow, methodical learning. The dual-boot
stuff allows you to do your work in Windows, learning Linux when you
can. In spite of this, what I see is that people are installing the
operating system and the first thing they try to do is install Quake,
Gnapster, and a whole host of other programs. Then they start asking
really basic questions about how to find a file, how to know how much
disk space they have, or some other very basic property of the
operating system. If people would deal with the basics first they'd
have far fewer questions and become far less frustrated.
Nice chatting Benjamin.
Cheers --- Larry
